Sheet metal edging construction



May 18, 1937 c, P. ALBERT SHEET METAL EDGING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 11, '1936 W Y W I HTTORNEY.

Patented May 18, 1937 SHEET METAL EDGING CONSTRUCTION Carl P. Albert, Racine, Wis., assignor to Greene Manufacturing 00., Racine, Wis., ,a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 11, 1936, Serial No. 79,111

4 Claims. (01. 189-34) This invention relates to improvements in sheet metal edging construction.

In the automotive industry the present trend is toward decorating exposed metal surfaces and edges with edgings or trimming strips of an attractive appearance and of a non-corrosive, polished or gleaming character. For this purpose metals such as stainless steel, chromium plated metal, or brass may be utilized to advantage, and of course the cost of these materials prohibits their use on or for the entire plates or sheets. Hence, for louvers, radiator grills, trimming plates and the like, it is desirable to form the same of an inexpensive grade of steel or sheet metal, and to then apply strips or edgings to the exposed edges of said plates, which strips or edgings are formed of a more expensive, decorative form of metal which will retain a shiny polished appearance.

Heretofore, some attempts have been made along this line, but in the prior practices the edgings or trimming strips were applied to portions of plates by such common expedients as spot welding, brazing, or bolting. These methods required additional tedious and expensive operations, and the finished material did not always present a thoroughly neat and attractive appearance. These arrangements were also only applicable in securing edging strips on surface portions of plates and did not provide for proper covering of and securement to the plate edges. Also exposed surfaces and crevices remained which were susceptible of receiving dirt and corrosion.

With theforegoing in mind, therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a sheet metal or plate edging construction which eliminates all of the aforementioned objections and difiiculties, and which is highly decorative, practical and inexpensive.

A further object of the invention is to provide a metal plate and a trimming strip for an edge portion of the plate, both being formed with complementary means for securing the strip to an edge portion of the plate without the need of other instrumentalities or mediums.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of the character described wherein the trimming or edging strip is applied and secured directly over and around an exposed edge portion of a plate.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a plate material edge trimming strip which may be quickly applied to the plate material with aiminimum of operations and. time and Without any additional material, and which, when so applied, is extremely rigid and secure and has the appearance of being a refined, integral portion of the plate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a metal plate and trimming strip construction which may take a great variety of forms and which is applicable regardless of the shape, dimensions, characteristics or usage of the plate.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a metal plate and trimming strip construction which is neat and attractive in appearance, which is practical and can be carried out commercially on a large scale, which is economical to produce and provide, which is very simple, and which is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved sheet metal or plate edging construction, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a metallic plate with an edging strip applied thereto according to the improved construction, a portion being broken away and in section;

Fig. 2 is an edge or side view of the showing in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detail sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a metallic plate or sheet having an edge portion thereof formed in one manner for engagement with one form of edging or trimming strip;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a metal plate and edging strip applied thereto showing an alternate form of end edge arrangement;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of an edging or trimming strip in its condition prior to application to a plate;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 only showing a modified form of construction for a plate for receiving a modified form of edging; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, transverse sectional view through the edge portion of the plate of Fig. 7 with an edging applied thereto.

Although the improved sheet metal edging construction is shown and described herein as being applied to edge portions of plane surfaced metallic plates, it should be understood that it is not the intent to limit the scope of the invention, since the novel features are obviously more generally applicable and may be used on and for the exposed edges of various types of plates, fins, louvers, grilles, regardless of the shapes, installations and functions of said members.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figs. '1 to 4 inclusive thereof, it will appear that the numeral I represents a sheet metal plate or strip such as may be used as a louver in a motor vehicle hood. The metal of the plate or strip I0 is such as is commonly employed for this purpose and it is not finished or coated in any unusual manner. In the particular adaptation of the plate III it is proposed that an edge portion thereof will be exposed and it is therefore desirable to apply an edging or trim- .ming strip to said exposed edge'portion for decorative purposes. 7 I0 is, therefore, put through a punch pressoperation which presses out of the stock of the metal, to one side of the plane of the sheet or plate I0, aseries of outwardly curved strips or metallic waves II, as best shown in Fig. 4.

The form of trimming stripor edging which is to be applied to the exposed waved edge portions of the plate III, is shown in detail in Fig. 6, in its original form, and is designated generally by the numeral I2. formed of metal of a quality and finish'superior to that of the plate). In actual practice it may be formed of stainless steel, brass, or it may be a chromium plated metal. It is desirable, however, that the edging strip I2 be of a. material which is noncor'rosive and which will have and retain a' burnished appearance inasmuch as in the finished installation the strip I2 will be exposed and it therefore should have an eye appeal as well as being non-susceptible of deterioration by weather and exposure.

The edging strip I2, in the form of the invention now under consideration, is elongated, and.

side walls are materially reduced as at 'IBVand one'end portion is bent downwardly or inwardly as indicated at I1. Theother reduced end portion is originally extended outwardly in the planes of the adjoining wall portions as indicated at III, in Fig. 6. v i

The edging strip I2 is applied to the fabricated edge of the plate III in the manner shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In performing this operation, the straight open end I8 of the strip is first applied to one end of an edge'portion of the plate I0 and the entire strip is then slid along longitudinally until the curved end I'I engages the curved end portion I9 of the plate III. Thereupon, the end portion I8 of the strip I2 is bent around the other curved end 20 of the plate I0, and the strip is thereby located and secured on the edge of the plate In and is held against longitudinal movement or shifting. As will be seen from Figs. 2 and 3, the Waves or corrugations. I'I engage against an inner surface of a wall of the channeled strip I2 and this frictional engagement prevents lateral shifting or looseness'of the applied strip I2 relative to the plate edge. If desired, or if necessary, the side walls of the channeled strip I2 may be The edge portion of the plate This member I2 is' clenched or forced into closer engagement with the plate II) to which it is applied.

From Fig. 1 it will be observed that the ends of the plate I0, adjacent the rounded edges I9 and 20, are provided with recessed portions and shoulders 2|. This shouldered arrangement is of course non-essential, but in particular installations trimming strips may be arrangedat the ends of the member III and the shoulders 2|, in this case, act as abutments for the trimming strips which extend at right angles to the member III.

In Fig. 5 there is illustrated an arrangement wherein the shoulders are eliminated from the ends of the plate I8. In this instance, an end edge portion is rounded as at H, and the edging strip I2 is applied in the manner previously described with a curved end I'I engaging the curved edge I9 of the plate.

A further alternative form of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 7 and '8. In this arrangement, the exposed edge portion of the plate III has the waves or corrugations II pressed in alternate directions, so that one wave will project laterally of one side of the plate and the next adjacent wavewill project laterally of the other side of the plate. This arrangement permits of the use of an edging strip I2" arranged so as to be located centrally of the plate III and project equally on both sides thereof. From Fig. 8 it will be observed that both side of the member I2 carry right angular inturned flanges I5 providing therebetween an opening or slot I4 which is centrally located with respect to the interior or the channel of the member I2. Some of the waves II engage one inner side of themember I2 while other waves II engage the other side of the member I2.

It'w'ill be observed that the invention provides an inexpensive, efficient, and practical arrangement for decoratively trimming the exposed edge of a plate. A trimming strip maybe applied to the plate edge very expeditiously and the only operation required in securing the strip to the plate, save moving it longitudinally of the edge, is the bending around of the initially moved end of the edging strip. The edging strip when applied provides an attractive ornamental flange or rib which is securely mounted relative to the plate and is locked against lengthwise movement thereonand is furthermore secured against 'lat-; eral movement by the frictional engagements with the'various spaced waves or corrugations II, or II'. The edging strip not only extends from one surface of the plate but in addition extends around the entire edge portion and engages both surfacesof the plate.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention tothe exact details of con struction herein shown and described, for'vari ous modifications within the-scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

What is claimed as'the invention is:

1. 111 combination, a metallic plate formed er standard sheet metal and provided adjacent an edge with spaced waves connectedto'and'pressed laterally of a face of the plate out of "the-'stock thereof, and an eiongatedh'ollow metallic strip of box-like cross-section enclosing said edge and the Waves, one wall 'of thes'trip engagin'g certain edges of the waves, ano ther wall b'fthestrip engaging the side surfaces of'wavea-and still "another wail of the stripehgaging'other'edgesof the waves, i

' -2. In combination, a metallic fplate fenned 0f standard sheet metal and provided adjacent an edge with spaced waves connected to and pressed laterally of a face of the plate out of the stock thereof, and an elongated hollow metallic strip of box-like cross-section enclosing said edge and the waves, one wall of the strip engaging certain edges of the waves, another wall of the strip engaging the side surfaces of waves, and still another Wall of the strip engaging other edges of 0 the waves, the strip being formed of burnished,

thereto, and a molding having a wall engaging outer edges of the loops, said molding having a side portion engaging side surfaces of the loops and an inturned flange engaging inner edges of said loops.

4. In combination, a metallic plate having an I edge portion formed with pressed-out loops, each end of each loop being connected to the body of the plate; and a molding having a wall engaging outer edges of the loops, said molding having a side portion engaging side surfaces of the loops and an inturned flange engaging inner edges of said loops.

CARL P. ALBERT. 

